The Post-Rockist

Okay, listen up, gentle readers. If the Post-Rockist is a place for recovering music snobs, I think it’s high time we did a feature on today’s pop music, or, music that snobs wouldn’t be caught dead listening to. It is time to review current popular singles that most of us used to call “pop shit” or “guilty pleasures,” only, now that we are no longer snobs, we will simply call them songs. These songs deserve critical thought and attention since they are liked by so many people and are therefore valuable to our society. In the last few decades popular music has become so segregated that people are no longer willing to admit to liking certain types of music simply because it might be considered too pop or too mainstream. For some reason there is a newly established societal rule that implies that if something is liked by millions of people that it is probably invaluable as a work of Art. When did our culture get so elitist? In the sixties it seemed like everybody liked The Beatles, as they were both artistic and popular at the same time. Their music appealed to people across the board and it was never considered a sin to be a Beatles fan. Nowadays if you like an artist that has a video constantly being played on MTV or VH1, there is no way that you could be considered a “serious” music fan. This mentality has been around for quite a while, but it seems to have gotten worse with the rise of the Indie culture. Of course there were the rock fans in the seventies who attended the anti-disco rallies, and burned stacks and stacks of vinyl just to prove to themselves that rock was a superior genre. While this was totally ridiculous on many levels, at least rock fans still loved mega-popular groups like Kiss and Led Zeppelin.

I’ve been amazed at all of these music fans who turn their back on a band they used to love simply because they were able to reach a broader audience. For example, there were so many people who liked The White Stripes when they weren’t so popular, but now that they are superstars these fans could care less about them. This notion has absolutely nothing to do with the music. Music fans used to have loyalty and trust in the artists that they loved. When a favorite artist of yours put out a new album or came to your town, you spent your money on them just to show them support and gratitude. Now it seems that people have adopted such reactionary personalities that they are constantly looking for something new that no one else knows about. If your parent or your neighbor or your little sister likes the same song as you, then something must be seriously wrong. This way of thinking has plagued so many people, who are constantly using music as a fashion to define their personalities, and so if you like an artist that everyone likes, then basically you have the same personality as everyone else. Who are we to use artists to form our identities?

Let’s enjoy all of the music we can and not question it. If it gets your feet moving, your heart pounding, your fingers snapping, your gut aching, your mind expanding, or your hips telling the truth, then that’s what matters. Music is for the uplifting of the individual and collective spirit and does not need to be ranked.

So let’s drop all the pretenses and come to understand why these songs are bumping in every nursery, school yard, office complex, and retirement home across the country.

 

Paris Hilton - “Stars Are Blind”

Here is an artist that people would love to see fail miserably, but too bad for them. Despite all the negative expectations, this song is really good and has the potential to be quite a memorable hit song, especially since it sounds like nothing else out there at the moment. It has an insanely catchy chorus and reggae beat that has a similar feel to Blondie’s “The Tide Is High.” Ms. Hilton has a pretty and soulful voice that defines her sexuality as well as her sincerity, and every time she sings, “Let’s see what this love can do,” it’s surprisingly moving. It’s the kind of sentiment found in Bruce Springsteen’s early work, as it’s an embrace of the world’s mystery and a commitment to living and discovering love. Ms. Hilton was recently quoted in the press explaining how hearing her album makes her cry because “it’s so good.” Even she seems surprised at how good of an artist she actually is. Just from her first single, she has proven to have a lot more to her than people think. You gotta respect her boldness by putting so much of herself into her album, knowing that she could turn into a Kevin Federline-type punchline, even more so than she already is. ”Stars Are Blind” is one of the best songs of the summer and could quite possibly be sung in karaoke bars for the next few decades and not as a joke.

Stream “Stars Are Blind” and other Hilton tunes.

 

Christina Aguilera - “Ain’t No Other Man”

This is exactly the kind of music Christina Aguilera should be making. It finally feels like she’s found herself as an artist by focusing on her powerful voice and her love of big band jazz and rhythm & blues, instead of trying to compete with the dance pop of Britney Spears. After spending most of her career trying to be nastier than her contemporaries, Ms. Aguilera seems to have adopted a more subtle and conservative style of music, which suits her much better and is a hell of a lot more sexy. “Ain’t No Other Man” is a true-blue love song that includes lyrics that are as sincere as they come. The song still oozes sex appeal, but in the way Aretha Franklin or Etta James are able to do with only their voices, without resorting to taking off their clothes. The production boasts a contemporary dance beat along with vintage horn samples that prove that she’s not simply trying to create old-timey music. By combining American roots music with a modern twist, Ms. Aguilera has managed to show artistic promise and depth as she has figured out how to be herself. “Ain’t No Other Man” is her best song yet.

Stream “Ain’t No Other Man” and other Aguilera tunes

 

Justin Timberlake - “Sexyback” (featuring Timbaland)

You gotta respect an artist that tries new things on their sophomore album. Justin Timberlake was able to surprise all the boyband haters a few years ago with Justified as he seemed like the perfect candidate to be the Michael Jackson of the new millenium. This time around, judging from his single “Sexyback,” he has adopted a new style that is much more influenced by the robo-funk of Prince than the disco-pop of Michael Jackson. In fact, the FutureSex/LoveSounds album cover consists of Mr. Timberlake smashing a disco ball! Instead of relying on The Neptunes again, he choose to have Timbaland and will.i.am produce his new album, giving it a much more futuristic sound. On “Sexyback,” his vocals are distorted and subdued, which is totally unexpected from a former boyband singer. For someone who is always able to rely on his signature soulful voice, it is admirable that he doesn’t depend on old tricks to get his point across. Timbaland’s production is in his regular hit-making style, but Mr. Timberlake appears to be the one giving the track it’s originality as he reinvents himself again.

Stream “Sexyback” and other Timberlake tunes.

 

Fergie - “London Bridge”

Here’s another artist that people love to hate, even though she has quite a bit of talent and, judging from her first single as a solo artist, she is destined to become a major pop star. It should not matter whatsoever that she was a member of Kids Incorporated when she was a child or that she supposedly gave the Black Eyed Peas a mainstream makeover. What matters is that she has a great voice and sings and raps with playful charisma, creative lyrics, and memorable melodies. This song is in the tradition of the playground choruses of Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” or Kelis’s “Milkshake,” using the ancient art of singing about sexuality with children’s themes. She’s smart in using the London Bridge as a sexual metaphor that is open to a few different interpretations, instead of the painfully obvious 50 Cent track, “Candy Shop,” where he invites you to lick his lollipop. During the verses she admits, “I’m such a lady, but I’m dancing like a ho, but you know I don’t give a fuck, so here we go.” It’s the kind of statement that makes you want to lose control and join in and be as nasty as you possibly can without feeling guilty. Fergie sounds a little like Missy Elliott in the way she sings and raps with a heavy accent and sense of humor and playfulness, but she still sounds like she’s being herself. There won’t be a more fun song released this year.

Stream “London Bridge.”

 

Beyonce - “Deja Vu” (featuring Jay-Z)

Ms. Knowles had the very difficult task ahead of her of creating a hit song that was as good as “Crazy In Love” for her new album. She managed to do so by crafting one of her strongest vocal performances yet. Beyonce seems to be at her most confident as she begins the song by asking for bass and then high-hat and then 808 and then her man Jay-Z. It is a great way to introduce the song and displays her confidence as a singer and hitmaker. This is one of the most bass-heavy songs to come out this year, which makes it stand out among the other current mainstream hits thanks to its melodic groove. Every part of this song is memorable, including the intro, verse, bridge, chorus, and Jay-Z’s rap, which offers yet another reason he should come out of retirement. The song is so memorable that you swear you’ve heard it before, hence the title “Deja Vu,” but not in a way that makes it come across as unoriginal. The track feels timeless since it incorporates elements of the past few decades of music, while fitting right in with the music that’s being made today.

Stream “Deja Vu” and other Beyonce tunes.

 

Nelly Furtado - “Promiscuous” (featuring Timbaland)

Much has already been said about this song, which has been on the radio for the entire summer, but somehow it still manages to sound fresh. This is the type of song that never would have worked if it was done by an artist who wasn’t Nelly Furtado. She is able to bring a smart sensibility to it that makes it seem like she’s having a blast, but is completely serious at the same time. Ms. Furtado is almost like the female version of Beck, writing singer/songwriter folk songs as well as hip-hop flavored club tracks without skipping a beat. Not many people can pull this off so convincingly. Ever since she first burst into public conciousness, I had a feeling that Ms. Furtado had a lot to offer since she expressed so many different influences. On her third album she has managed to bring out another side of her that fits her quite well, as she is becoming a totally unpredictable artist filled with potential.

Stream “Promiscuous” and other Nelly Furtado tunes.

 

Jessica Simpson - “A Public Affair”

This is the only Jessica Simpson song I have ever heard that has any kind of memorable quality to it. For some reason, Ms. Simpson has focused most of her music career on unconvincing, syrupy ballads, when she would have been a lot better off making fun, danceable songs like “A Public Affair.” I’m surprised at how much I like this song. It’s almost like a Village People song since it’s so confident in it’s shallowness. At one point the song has a great clapping breakdown that just makes you want to join in a group line-up on the dancefloor. The song has a strong retro vibe to it and feels like it could have been made during disco’s heyday, while taking melodic inspiration from Madonna’s “Holiday.” If Ms. Simpson keeps focusing on making music with a sense of fun, she could turn out to be a much more respectable pop singer.

Watch the video for “A Public Affair.”

 

The Pussycat Dolls - “Buttons” (featuring Snoop Dogg)

The video of this song first caught my attention since it is essentially a four minute Victoria’s Secret commercial featuring Snoop Dogg. It took a couple of viewings for me to finally start paying attention to the actual song, which is a shame because the song is strong enough by itself. The instrumentation of the song has a sort of exotic feel to it with its Eastern keyboard samples. The groove takes its cue from Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” since it eliminates the bass during the verses and allows the sparse drum beat to stand on its own for much of the time. The chorus of the song repeats quite a bit throughout, but it offers a nice contrast to the verse, while flowing together effortlessly. Snoop Dogg’s rap seems a little phoned in with his cringe-worthy “I thought I saw a Puttycat” theme, but it doesn’t manage to spoil the song. Nicole Scherzinger is the only member of the group who actually sings, but she has a great voice and is able to handle all the vocal parts with plenty of pizazz. Time will tell if this group will be taken more seriously, but if they keep creating hit songs as good as “Buttons,” they could become huge.

Stream “Buttons” and other Pussycat Dolls tunes.

-Posted by Daniel.

Stay tuned for more pop music roundups on the Post-Rockist in the future.  What do you think of these songs? Have they even creapt across your massive music radar?  Leave your thoughts and reactions in the comments box, people. Thank you!